Roseburg geocaching kick-off Feb. 4

ROSEBURG, Ore. – Calling all treasure hunters: Roseburg’s next geocaching series launches on Saturday, Feb. 4.

Hosted by Roseburg Parks and Recreation, the Discover Roseburg 12 Land of Umpqua Geocache Series kick-off is a free, family-friendly event designed to draw people outside to experience more of the city and its businesses.

The public is invited to gather at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, for the annual kick-off event at Stewart Park’s large pavilion, where Roseburg Parks and Recreation staff will give out verbal instructions and coordinate-containing “passports” for a high-tech geocaching treasure hunt. The event is expected to last until about 2 p.m., said Roseburg Recreation Coordinator Tracy Moser. If needed, Parks staff will supply pencils or pens to sign tiny log sheets at each geocache.

Participants are asked to bring a smart phone or other device equipped with a Global Positioning System, or satellite-based radio navigation system. Using a GPS to follow coordinates printed on the passports, participants will hunt for five real-world geocaches, or small containers, hidden around town, plus 15 virtual geocaches at special locations. Geocachers will navigate to all the spots and fill out their passport along the way. Sturdy shoes are recommended.

An Oregon resident reportedly stashed the first documented GPS-located cache near Beavercreek, Ore., in 2000. Roseburg Parks and Rec has sponsored geocache events for 12 years. Many people have joined the “Discover Roseburg” geocache series for years, so Moser was challenged to find new hiding places – especially for real-world caches.

“The five caches we have for this are all really exciting and new and a little unique. I’m super-excited for people to find them,” she said.

This geocache series will commemorate Roseburg’s sesquicentennial, or 150^th birthday, on Oct. 3, 2022. A GPS-equipped device with a camera, such as a smartphone or tablet, can be used at each stop to scan hidden “Quick Response” or QR code stickers – machine-readable optical labels using a matrix barcode – to learn local history tied to that spot, Moser said.

Participants can share experiences searching for caches online at geocaching.com. The 2022 series included one location that 10 people marked as a favorite on the geocaching.com website to share geocaches they enjoyed most – which could be cool hiding places, creative cache containers or interesting locations. You can learn more about geocaching on the geocaching.com website.

People who find all 20 geocaches in the Discover Roseburg 12 challenge can redeem their passports for a limited-edition collector’s geocoin, or metal token, with a trackable ID number that honors Roseburg’s sesquicentennial. Only 200 geocoins will be available. This geocache challenge will continue until all the geocoins have been awarded. Since last February, 134 people completed “Discover Roseburg 11” passports to earn collectible geocoins. A total of 114 people and several dogs took part in last year’s kick-off event. Some worked in teams, while others worked independently.

Participants who attend the kick-off event don’t have to turn in their passports on the same day. They can finish the hunt and complete their passports on their own time.

After the kick-off event, passports can be picked up or dropped off at Roseburg City Hall’s front lobby at 900 S.E. Douglas Ave. from 8 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. An alternative, after-hours pickup/drop-off spot is Hampton Inn and Suites, 1620 N.W. Mulholland Drive in Roseburg.

Passports for the last two challenges remain available at City Hall. There was no deadline for turning in the passports, so people still have time to do so. Additional passports for each of those years will remain available until all geocoins for that year have been given out – as long as the caches are still in good condition, Moser added.

For more information, check out the City’s Facebook page, or Parks and Recreation’s “events” webpage or Facebook page, or contact Roseburg Parks and Recreation at 541-492-6899 or tmoser@cityofroseburg.org.